Grim72 - verified booking

"We booked this accomodation for the Easter week as it was the only accomodation we could find available to suit our needs for 3 bedrooms and 2 dogs so were a little nervous. We needn't have been - it turned out to be perfect for us. 3 good sized bedrooms (1 double and 2 twins), a sitting room/dining area more than adequate in size to comfortably sit 5 of us and the 2 dogs - and beautifully appointed. We didnt need to light the wood burner as we were blessed with great weather. The bathroom is also modern with a good power shower. The only thing needing a bit of a spruce up is the kitchen but having said that it was still clean and had everything you need (just needs modernising a little) - would also benefit from a bigger fridge/freezer. The washing machine/drier is located in the adjoining barn where there are also bikes (no hellmets though), fishing nets etc - all a useful addition. All in all the propert is great, we even had a BBQ in the back garden which wa snice to sit in after a day of walking and exploring the surrounding area. The village of Caldbeck is lovely with plenty of walks to discover along the river and countryside. As you head down the hill to the village, take a left before you reach the village (towards the duckpond) and you'll see a signpost for a walk to Howk. This is a great little walk (only about half a mile) where you will discover an abandoned Bobbin Mill and spectacular waterfalls - our son (9) loved exploring along here and enjoyed getting his feet in the water. You can then cross a bridge over the waterfall and up steps into a farmers field - cross this and you end up more or less back at the cottage. On an evening we enjoyed the boardgames provided in the dresser and just chilling out with a bit of tv. You are probably between 30mins to an hour drive away from the main tourist spots of Keswick, Cockermouth etc which are worth a trip to and we'd recommend just parking up along the way when you see a spare parking spot alongside the Lakes. Try Grange, do the Borrowdale drive and take in the spectacular views/driving experinece of the Honiston Pass (not a drive for the faint hearted). Our SatNav got us more or less to the front door - just take the next left around the back of the property for a great dedicated parking area."

Malcolm - verified booking

"Trouble is, opinions are subjective. I had no major issues with the cottage. Maybe could have benefitted from a few general items. Dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid, few cleaning products etc. Maybe could be a tad cleaner too, but it's on a farm, so should expect some areas to be less clean. Floorboards are very noisy, especially in the double room. Double bed was comfy. Maybe a set of drawers in the twin room would help for kid socks and pants. Bathroom was fine and dandy. Certainly accommodated for 2+2 kids.Kitchen was ok. Table worked well enough for 2+2. Sofa and chairs were more than useful, as was the TV. Although we didn't spend much time in the cottage anyway. For me, and the wife, the location was our negative aspect. But that is subjective. But to get from the cottage just to Keswick was in itself a 25+ minute trip through some very narrow lanes. Cottage to the A66 was also quite a journey. That said, if you like quiet, open spaces, and were not bothered by the journey, then staying here would not be an issue. The lanes themselves were not busy, so cycling would be great. Caldbeck commons looked excellent for gentle walks and cycling. We did a couple of pleasant strolls from the cottage. The hills are not excessive at all.To sum up. The cottage was more than fine itself, but it's maybe just a bit too far from Keswick for some. Subjective of course"

Mr Gandy - verified booking

"The main issue we had was actually before the holiday. I had a conversation with one of the company representatives regarding travel insurance. I would like to state that it was my mistake selecting travel insurance when initially booking our holiday. But I was sure I did not ask for insurance, due to the fact we already have annual insurance. Because of personal reasons, I did not check the holiday confirmation which included the travel insurance. As soon as I realised the mistake, I contacted Lakes Cottage Holidays and the representative was adamant there was nothing she could do. I was not happy with the situation, but it seemed we were stuck with the travel insurance. I even asked if there was anything she could do as a gesture of good will, but she was polite and firm when stating the company response was final and if I was unhappy the only course of action was the FCA. The insurance situation could have been sorted amicably, but Lakes Cottage Holidays stuck firmly to their terms and conditions. The insurance premium was forty pounds. This is a small amount of money compared with the total holiday cost of around £800. We will not use this lettings agent in the future and any recommendation is out of the question."

Mr Gandy - verified booking

"I had a conversation with one of the company representatives regarding travel insurance. I would like to state that it was my mistake selecting travel insurance when initially booking our holiday. But I was sure I did not ask for insurance, due to the fact we already have annual insurance. Because of personal reasons, I did not check the holiday confirmation which included the travel insurance. As soon as I realised the mistake, I contacted Lakes Cottage Holidays and the representative was adamant there was nothing she could do. I was not happy with the situation, but it seemed we were stuck with the travel insurance. I even asked if there was anything she could do as a gesture of good will, but she was polite and firm when stating the company response was final and if I was unhappy the only course of action was the FCA. The insurance situation could have been sorted amicably, but Lakes Cottage Holidays stuck firmly to their terms and conditions. The insurance premium was forty pounds. This is a small amount of money compared with the total holiday cost of around £800. We will not use this lettings agent in the future and any recommendation is out of the question."

NicAngel - verified booking

"We recently spent a week in Ellwood House and had a thoroughly lovely stay. The house was clean, tidy and very homely with the beautiful log burner. We were amazed at how well stocked the kitchen was including cleaning products, tea, coffee, milk and some rather delicious biscuits. All this and plenty of fuel for the log burner. We will most certainly be visiting the property again as it's location was perfect for our family with plenty of parking, beautiful enclosed (great for the dog) garden with patio and BBQ. I have never met such friendly people as the people in the pub and village shop which may I add has everything you could possibly need. The proprietors of Ellwood House were amazing, we managed to leave something behind but they returned it to us in a very timely manner. They couldn't do enough for us. Wonderful, can't wait to do it again when the weather picks up."